Canadian wildcard Raphaël Lessard predicts that he’ll be meeting a “very competitive” field of drivers for his NASCAR Euro Series debut at Oschersleben.
Raphaël Lessard expressed his thoughts on his upcoming NASCAR Euro Series debut in a report that was published by the official EuroNASCAR website on 11 September 2025.
Lessard, the American-Canadian Tour and NASCAR Canada Series ace driver, is set for his EuroNASCAR debut in the NASCAR GP Germany at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
The Quebecois is NASCAR Canada’s representative for NASCAR International’s renewed drivers exchange program.
The program, which for 2025 involves EuroNASCAR and NASCAR Canada, takes shape in two legs. Reigning EuroNASCAR champion Vittorio Ghirelli was involved in the first leg as he raced in the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres in August.
The second leg, scheduled to take place in Oschersleben, will see Lessard do his own cross-Atlantic trip. He’s due to race the No. 75 Chevrolet Camaro, fielded by CAAL Racing – as revealed in the latest report – in conjunction with Team FJ.
Lessard is looking forward to seeing how he’s stacking up against the competition. The Canadian is not putting too much expectation on himself, but he understands that EuroNASCAR’s road course-centric schedule will make for an interesting comparison.
“I’m not setting my expectations too high for the NASCAR Euro Series race, but I’m really looking forward to seeing the caliber of the competition,” said Lessard to nascar.eu.
“I think it’s going to be very competitive, especially since I’m used to oval tracks whereas this year’s NASCAR Euro series is only on road courses.”
“The drivers there are real experts on road courses, so it will be interesting to compare. I can’t wait to see the racing style. Will it be more like Formula 1, GT3, all those categories?”
“For me, it’s a unique opportunity to compare it with NASCAR here. I’m not putting any pressure on myself, but I’m ready to perform.”
“I hope to have a good car and get along well with the team there. Above all, I want to live the experience to the fullest, because you never know what opportunities it might open up in the future.”
“One thing is certain. I see it as the experience of a lifetime, and I’m going to have fun trying to represent Canada well.”
NASCAR GP Germany also features the start of EuroNASCAR’s Playoffs rounds. Gianmarco Ercoli and Ghirelli enter the round as co-championship leaders in the top PRO division, while Thomas Krasonis leads the EuroNASCAR OPEN standings after his sweep in Czechia.
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